Dodd asked for
particulars: was he a Ladroner, a Malay, a Bornese? In what latitude was
he to be looked for? The admiral on this examined his memoranda: by these
it appeared little was known as yet about the miscreant, except that he
never cruised long on one ground; the crew was a mixed one: the captain
was believed to be a Portuguese, and to have a consort commanded by his
brother: but this was doubtful; at all events, the pair had never been
seen at work together.
The gunner arrived and saluted the quarter-deck; the captain on this
saluted him, and beckoned him to the weather side. On this the other
officers kept religiously to leeward.
"Mr. Monk," said Dodd, "you will clean and prepare all the small arms
directly."
"Ay, ay, sir," said the old Niler, with a gleam of satisfaction.
"How many of your deck-guns are serviceable?"
This simple question stirred up in one moment all the bile in the poor
old gentleman's nature.
"My deck-guns serviceable! how the ---- _can_ they when that son of a
sea-cook your third mate has been and lashed the water butts to their
breechings, and jammed his gear in between their nozzles, till they can't
breathe, poor things, far less bark.
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